


A Smuggler's Hymn

by wookieleaks



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Drabble, Gen, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-12-11 05:47:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11708079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wookieleaks/pseuds/wookieleaks
Summary: Leia, Poe, and Chewie take time to remember Han, and give him a proper farewell.





	A Smuggler's Hymn

Leia always hated watching him leave, but that’s why he did it; so she would miss him. Well, this time it worked. She wished she could have more time to grieve for Han, but she was in the middle of waging a war. She couldn’t afford the time for an extravagant ceremony. It’s not really what he would have wanted, anyway.

She sat on her bed and reached for the holodisk on the night stand. She grasped it firmly, though her hands trembled, and activated it. With a slight flicker, a shimmering blue hologram of Han and a young Ben appeared in the palm of her hand. Ben was perched on Han’s shoulders, reaching for the sky, and laughing. She found herself submerged in the memory of the good times. So much so, that she could almost hear Han imitating The Falcon’s various noises as he ran around the room, Ben laughing and shrieking.

Somehow she knew, even back then, it wouldn’t last long. Han was never meant to be tethered down to one spot. Traveling the galaxy was the only thing that ever brought him real joy. She understood that and couldn’t blame him. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door. “Come in” She choked slightly. She repeated herself immediately, more authoritatively this time. She knew who it was. The door swooshed open, revealing a handsome looking Poe in his new brown leather jacket, a somber look on his face. She smirked at him as turned off the holodisk and placed it in her jacket pocket.

“General… I feel under dressed” he stated cautiously. He didn’t know what kind of mood she would be in. 

“That’s the point, son” She countered in a jesting tone “Han would be insulted if anyone dressed up for his memorial.”

“Still, I feel like he deserves a proper military send off.” Poe stammered, still unsure of her emotional state, despite her previous joke.

“He was a smuggler first and foremost, and a soldier second.” She snorted as she stood up and walked calmly toward him. “At least that’s what he always said.” She paused, reached for his jacket and straightened it a bit. “Y’know, you remind me of him a little.” 

It was true. Poe and Han shared the same devilishly handsome looks, and cocky disposition that Leia eventually fell in love with. In the years after Ben’s fall, she had begun to think of Poe as her son. In a way, Poe was the only family she had managed to hold onto these past few years. She didn’t know if Luke would ever return, or if he would even be the same person anymore. And then there was Ben… She wanted him back so much. But if Luke and Han both failed to reignite the light in him, what hope did she have?

She chuckled slightly and continued “Come on then, soldier, Han was never the patient type” She strode confidently out of the room and down the hall, Poe at her heels. If she was grieving, it was hard to tell; Poe thought watching her march confidently toward the escape pods.

They entered the tiny pod bay. Inside, waiting for them, was Chewie. He had Han’s old jacket slung over his shoulder. As Leia approached the Wookie, he slowly opened his arms and let out the tiniest growl. If anyone was grieving, it was Chewie. She sensed it in the way he was carrying himself. The seven-foot Wookie felt as if he was only four feet tall in her arms.

She always enjoyed Chewie’s hugs. Something about them made her feel like she could fall asleep in his soft fur and never wake up. Despite his enormous, intimidating stature, he was just as cuddly as an Ewok. 

Chewie let out another small grunt and released her, holding her at arm’s length. “Grrraaw…graww warrr.” She laughed at his attempt to lighten the mood. Poe snickered from behind them. He couldn’t completely understand Chewbacca, but he knew enough to laugh at his remark.

Poe shuffled toward them and placed his hand on her shoulder. They all turned toward the pod bay window. A large black hole loomed in the distance.

Leia held out her arm and Chewie instinctively draped Han’s jacket over it. She solemnly advanced toward an open escape pod to the right of the bay window. She ducked her head as she entered the pod, and knelt down in the middle of the chamber. She carefully folded Han’s jacket and placed it neatly in the middle of the tiny capsule. She then reached into her jacket, trembling slightly, and retrieved the holo disk. Gently placing it on top of the folded garment. She activated it once again, revealing the hologram of her two boys.

Leia’s eyes began to water. Her two boys that she would never see together again… She stopped, wiped the moisture from her eyes, and took a deep breath. She was trying to be strong. She would HAVE to be strong in the days to come.

Finally, she reached into her boot, and pulled out a sleek heavy blaster. Han had given it to her before he left to return to the smuggling game. She placed it next to the jacket and holodisk, took another deep breath, and abruptly stood up. She turned on her heels and marched out of the escape pod, ducking at the entrance.

When she emerged, she nodded to Chewie and he lurched forward to take her place in the escape pod. Leia leaned against the pod bay window and stared out into space. This was it. After today, she had nothing left to lose, but her son. And for all she knew, he was lost too.

No- she stopped herself again. She was having trouble keeping her mind focused. She KNEW Ben still had light in him, and one way or another…

Leia and Poe stood in silence, waiting for Chewie to say his goodbyes. Leia stared toward the black hole and brought to mind Han’s smug bragging about the Falcon and his record Kessel Run. She never really believed it. She had gone on a couple runs with him in her younger days, but he was never able to reproduce a 12 parsec lane. She always suspected the Falcon was exactly the bucket of bolts she thought it was when she first laid eyes on it during her “rescue” from the Death Star.

Chewie emerged from the pod. The hair around his eyes appeared damp with tears. She had never witnessed the wookie cry. In fact, she only ever saw him when he was happy, or about to tear an imperial’s arms out of his sockets. At some level, she must have convinced herself that those were the only two emotions a Wookie was capable of. She knew better, though. Still… to think a beast of Chewie’s stature could be that compassionate and terrifying at the same time.

Chewie dragged his feet back to his spot next to Leia. He let out a few tiny grumbles and growls, which one could only interpret as tiny sobs. Poe, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the sound of a crying wookie, awkwardly shuffled toward the pod control panel and closed the door.

“Any final words, General.” Poe stammered, ready for her to give the command.

She, once again, walked toward the pod and placed her hand on the door. “Time to put your money where your mouth is, you scruffy nerf herder.” She chuckled. “Let’s see you make the Kessel Run one last time.” The general smoothly retracted her hand, and gave a nod to Poe. He pressed a few buttons on the panel and the escape pod rocketed off toward the Black Hole far in the distance. Chewie let out a bellowing growl and reared his head, tears seeping through the hair on his face. Leia and Poe winced. She could sense the Wookie’s despair.

Leia watched the pod race away as her mind immediately went back to that hologram, and her son. Luke couldn’t reach him, and Han couldn’t reach him. It was up to her. She was strong enough to forgive Ben, but she didn’t know if she could bring him back to the light. She would have to try. She was his only hope. She was the galaxy’s only hope. She wanted her son back more than anything in the world.

A single tear managed to free itself from her eye and she fell to her knees. Poe and Chewie reacted immediately, to try and help her. Leia thrust her hand at them, as if to tell them not to worry. Poe and Chewie shared a concerned look.

The weight of the galaxy had descended upon her, as she realized that she was the galaxy’s only hope. She felt as if she would collapse under the immense pressure, until she felt two hands on either side of her back. The weight was immediately lifted.

Of course… How could she have been so stupid? The galaxy didn’t revolve around her, and she alone didn’t hold it’s destiny in her hands. She turned her head and made eye contact with Poe, who had knelt down beside her and placed his hand on her back. Then she turned to look at Chewbacca, who had done the same.

Throughout the years she had forged a new family. And it was high time the Skywalkers stopped deciding the fate of the galaxy alone. Friends, past and present, alive or long gone. They would be with her. Because The Force was with her.


End file.
